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Balm
Balm was a Medium infantry sergeant in the 9th Squad of the 8th Legion in the Malaz 14th Army. He was described as a tall, young, wide-shouldered Dal Honese, with midnight skin and heavy eyebrows.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.323 Fiddler had been impressed by Balm's cool indifference to pressure.House of Chains, Chapter 22, UK MMPB p.846 However, Balm — right before battle — sometimes suffered a temporary forgetful state of mind known as "the Confusion", which could cause him to "lose track of everything" until fighting actually started.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US HC p.226-227/245-246 Unlike most Malazan soldiers who were known by nicknames, Balm was his real name.House of Chains, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.711 He did not think highly of noble born officers. He spoke badly accented Ehrlii. Members of Balm's squad *Corporal Deadsmell *Galt *Lobe *Throatslitter *Widdershins, sapper In House of Chains Balm was part of Adjunct Tavore Paran's punitive expedition against the Army of the Apocalypse. On the road from Aren to Raraku, his squad had done their share of the fighting, and their names were well known amongst the other soldiers in the legion. When Lieutenant Ranal was briefly made captain of 9th Company, Balm was concerned with the lieutenant's rearranging of the squads and announced it likely the noble born officer was going to get them all killed.House of Chains, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.711-712 In The Bonehunters After the Battle of Raraku, Leoman led the Army of the Apocalypse westward to Y'Ghatan and the 14th Army followed. Upon reaching the outskirts of the city, Balm went to a nearby cemetery to craft a death-mask — a custom for Dal Honese who thought they were about to die. Bottle found him in a looter's pit wearing gazelle skins, his face streaked with ash, singing a strange and monotonous death dirge, and dancing in tight circles. Frustrated and angered by Bottle's interuption, Balm threatened to curse his bloodline and ran off.The Bonehunters, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.239/242 In the hours before the Last Siege of Y'Ghatan, Balm engaged Moak in a game of Troughs, but soon became overwhelmed by "the Confusion". He knocked over the board, unclear who he was and what he was doing. His corporal, Deadsmell, led him to safety from an angry Moak while congratulating Balm on a clever ruse for ending a losing game. Balm could not respond because he no longer understood what language Deadsmell was speaking.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.278-279 Adjunct Tavore launched the attack on Y'Ghatan by sending the army's sappers to breach the city's wall under the cover of night. First into the city were the Malazan marines, followed quickly by the heavy and medium infantry. Once inside the city, the Malazans immediately came under attack from swordsmen on the ground and archers in the buildings above them.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.287-295 Balm's squad pushed forward well beyond the other Malazan troops and took cover in a building filled with bolts of silk. While Galt and Lobe watched the street from the windows, Throatslitter, Deadsmell, and Widdershins went to investigate a noise upstairs. The three soldiers discovered the walls of the entire building had been filled with olive oil. Realising what Leoman meant to do, Balm's squad attempted to report their findings to Fist Keneb. But it was too late. When enough Malazans were engaged in street fighting inside the city, Leoman sprung his trap. The city's olive oil-soaked buildings were set alight and the streets quickly became an inferno.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.301-303 Fleeing from the flames, they soon joined a mixed group of survivors from Hellian's, Fiddler's, Cord's, and Gesler's squads, who made their way to the Temple of the Queen of Dreams. Balm ordered Throatslitter to kill Corabb Bhilan Thenu'alas, who had also taken shelter there, but was stopped by Galt.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.307-309/316/322-323 Balm and his squad were among the small group of soldiers who survived Y'Ghatan by tunneling their way out from under the city. They spent three days crawling on their hands and knees through the dark led by Bottle and his rat.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.368/370 During the ordeal, Balm quarreled with his soldiers and experienced bouts of heat rash and panic accompanied by screaming.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.334/341 When the group found and ingested an ancient cache of Carelbarra, the drug induced slumber prompted each to dream of various gods and goddesses of their people.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US HC p.285-289 Balm dreamt of himself meeting a menagerie of disgusting Dal Honese deities.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US HC p.285-286 In Reaper's Gale (Information needed) In Dust of Dreams (Information needed) In The Crippled God After the battle with the K'Chain Nah'ruk, Balm decided not to recruit new members into his decimated squad nor break it up.The Crippled God, Chapter 4, UK HB p.102 History Balm was a lapsed warlock of mediocre talent who ran away from the savannah of Dal Hon to become a soldier and escape a life herding cattle, hunting monstrous beasts, and drinking bull blood and cow milk.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US HC p.286 Notes and references Category:Dal Honese Category:Males Category:Sergeants Category:Y'Ghatan survivor (underground) Category:Medium infantry